Social media’s fake secret: can online influencers be trusted? June 25, 2018 FACEBOOK, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and myriad other social media platforms have enabled clever and entrepreneurial creators to make a living by producing content for internet users to enjoy, whether that’s a makeup tutorials, video diaries, or simply cracking jokes while playing video games. It’s why YouTube stars such as Zoella and PewDiePie have become household [...]
Influencer marketing, fake followers, and sponsored content. Can brands and consumers trust online creatives? June 25, 2018 FACEBOOK, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and myriad other social media platforms have enabled clever and entrepreneurial creators to make a living by producing content for internet users to enjoy, whether that’s a makeup tutorials, video diaries, or simply cracking jokes while playing video games. It’s why YouTube stars such as Zoella and PewDiePie have become household [...]
Beirut survived 15 years of civil war, and now Lebanon’s once-beleaguered capital is a highlight of the club scene June 22, 2018 It’s barely nine o’clock in the evening, and I’m uncomfortably close to my first brush with death. Or, to be more precise, Death, a lethal-sounding concoction made with gin, vodka, cognac, sherry, lemon, orange and cinnamon, stored in a bottle featuring a skull and crossbones on the front. It’s the creation of a small, dapper, [...]
Why Debenhams has had three profit warnings in a year and could Mike Ashley help? June 20, 2018 City grandee Crispin Odey, whose hedge fund holds a short position in Debenhams, said last year that the retailer was in a race with House of Fraser “as to who will go down first”. While House of Fraser’s fate will be sealed at its CVA on Friday, Debenhams’ future looks dark, with the embattled department [...]
World Cup 2018: England’s Jesse Lingard has trademarked his JLingz celebration — and he’s done so at the perfect time June 17, 2018 Jesse Lingard is ready to make his mark at the World Cup. Less than three weeks ago, as England were preparing for their first warm-up game against Nigeria, Lingard applied for four trademarks with the UK Intellectual Property Office; three featuring his nickname “JLingz” and another featuring the image of his goal celebration. Should the [...]
Sport streaming: Will the trickle become a flood after the Premier League’s deal with Amazon? June 12, 2018 If the sports streaming revolution has to date just been a trickle, then deals struck between rights holders and online platforms in recent days suggest signs of a flood to come. Most notable was Amazon’s capture of a package of domestic Premier League rights last week, meaning that from the 2019-20 season English football’s top [...]
HTC U12+ review: HTC finishes what the iPhone started and ditches physical volume and power buttons June 7, 2018 Lately, HTC phones have been having a bit of an identity overhaul. Having long been the manufacturer of Google’s own Pixel phones, and for a while the smartest Android handsets you could pick up, HTC is now something of a discerning outsider’s choice. The cream cheese bagel to Google’s ham baguette, the Janeway to their [...]
Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley keeps faith in the UK high street May 7, 2018 Who would bet on Britain’s beleaguered retail sector these days? Mike Ashley of course. The Sports Direct boss has used his company to build a near-30 per cent stake in department store Debenhams, alongside the 11 per cent chunk of House of Fraser it has owned since 2014, prompting rumours that he wants to combine [...]
Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley has blamed a former MP for a drop in the firm’s share price May 4, 2018 Mike Ashley has accused former MP Iain Wright of slashing millions off Sports Direct’s share price and sparking a rash of assaults on the retailer’s staff, according to reports. The allegations were part of a formal complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards lodged earlier this week. The firm blames Wright for the “media circus” [...]
House of Fraser brings in advisers to consider store closures April 19, 2018 House of Fraser has become the latest retailer to look into store closures and rent reductions. The department store chain has brought in advisers from KPMG, Sky News reported, putting a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) on the table. This could involve closing some of the company’s 59 stores, as well as reducing rents at other [...]